


The Strongest Magic

by Icka M Chif (mischif)



Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Magic, Magic Revealed, Metamorphmagus, Muggles, Spells & Enchantments, Squibs, Wizarding World, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 07:08:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2015739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mischif/pseuds/Icka%20M%20Chif
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The summer of Phineas and Ferb's 11th birthday, an owl dropped off an invitation to the boys to join an elite Magical school in Groom Lake, Nevada.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Strongest Magic

* * *

The summer of Phineas and Ferb's 11th birthday, an owl dropped off an invitation to the boys to join an elite school in Groom Lake, Nevada.

"The Groom Lake School of Wizardry and Witchcraft." Linda laughed as she read the letter. "Now isn't that funny?! Some representatives will be dropping by the day after tomorrow to see about getting the boys enrolled there."

“A school at Area 51?” Phineas exclaimed excitedly. “Sweet!” 

"Er, yes dear." Lawrence said with a bland expression, nervously tugging on his shirt collar. He’d never thought this day would come, where his worlds would collide like this. "Very funny."

"Don't you have that Jazz Concert then?" Candace asked as Linda passed the letter to Phineas, who held it so he and Ferb could read it together.

"At the Children's Hospital. And practise tomorrow afternoon. Oh, golly. We've had that booked for weeks." Linda frowned, thinking it over. "We can't cancel now, it's too soon."

"I... could close up shop a few hours early to meet with them." Lawrence hesitantly suggested. "I mean, I suppose I could. We haven't been terribly busy the past few days, I don't think it will hurt business terribly much."

"Well, if you think so." Linda shrugged, looking pleased at having a solution. "Thanks, Honey."

"No problem, Darling." Lawrence gave her a weak smile as she kissed his cheek.

"Now I've got to go finish dinner. Be ready in about 20 minutes." Linda smiled as she walked back towards the kitchen. "Candace, if you could set the table before then. Boys, don't forget to wash up."

"Okay, Mom." Candace called back as she leaned over Ferb to read the letter.

"Wow, a School of Wizardry and Witchcraft!" Phineas exclaimed gleefully. "What kind of classes do you suppose they teach there? Potions? Spell casting?"

" -Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Divination, Ancient Runes." Lawrence muttered under his breath.

"Maybe you guys could make some flying brooms tomorrow." Candace smirked down at her little brothers. "Go flying that way."

"Hey, yeah!" Phineas beamed back at her. "Great idea, Sis! That'd be cool! Ferb, I know what we’re doing tomorrow!"

Ferb frowned and rubbed his backside. Phineas flinched and nodded. "Good point, we'll want to add some sort of seat, like on a bicycle, otherwise the wedgies'll be terrible."

A slight pause seemed to fill the house. Lawrence looked around, waiting for something to happen that didn’t.

"Was everyone else waiting for Baljeet to make a comment about wedgies too?" Candace asked, nervously glancing between them. "It wasn't just me, right?"

* * *

"I'm terribly sorry kids, but if I could call the boys in early today?" Lawrence said, stepping into the backyard. The children were floating around overhead on brooms, batting a variety of balls around.

It wasn't quite Quidditch, there weren't enough players for that, but it was close enough that anyone familiar with the sport could easily recognise it as a home game. It filled him with a pang of nostalgia, for a world left behind years ago.

The children landed without much grumbling, promising that they’d see each other tomorrow morning, the usual time and place. Buford picked Baljeet up by the back of the overalls and flung him over his shoulder, carrying the smaller boy was some sort of bag. Baljeet just sighed and waved his farewells as they left, trading barbs with his bully.

“You’re home early today, Dad.” Phineas commented with a smile as they took their helmets off, stacking them by the door next to the brooms as they came in. “What did you want to talk to us about?” 

“In a moment, lads. Let me get your sister.” Lawrence raised his voice. “Candace darling, if you could come down please.”

“Coming!” Candace shouted back. They walked into the living room, the sound of Candace’s footsteps stomping through the house announcing her progress. Lawrence gestured for the boys to sit on the sofa as they waited for Candace to join them.

She bounced in, looking happy. “What’s up?” Candace asked, glancing between the boys and Lawrence, her smile fading into concern. “Are Phineas and Ferb in trouble-?”

Bless Candace and her predictable concerns. Although the girl’s heart was certainly in the right place.

“No. Please take a seat. No one’s is in trouble, we just need to have a bit of a talk while your Mother isn’t here.” He took a deep breath, then let it out as Candace took a seat on Ferb’s other side, the gingers sandwiching him in the middle. The three children exchanged a worried glance.

“This is going to be a bit difficult for me to talk about.” He apologised. “And may sound a bit fantastical. So my apologies in advance, but please bear with me.”

“No problem-o, Daddy-o.” Phineas said, giving him an encouraging smile. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Well, it’s… You see. The letter from Groom Lake is not a joke.” He adjusted his glasses, bracing himself. “Magic does indeed exist.”

“Oh, we knew that.” Phineas smiled brightly.

“Wait, what?” Candace whipped her head and forth so fast that Lawrence had the momentary fear of her getting whiplash.

“Well, Ferb noticed last night that Dad seemed kind of nervous about the letter.” Phineas shrugged. “So after calling Grandpa Reg and Grandma Winifred, we teleported over to their house to talk about it.”

“Wait, Grandpa Reg and Grandma Winifred are magic too?” Candace piped up.

“Yes, a great many people. Sherlock Holmes, for example.” Lawrence remembered Candace devouring Mum’s collection of Holmes stories a few trips ago. “They printed a few stories without his magical abilities under the guise of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but there are many more books involving him on the Wizarding side then on the Muggle side.”

“I knew there was something fishy about those!” Candace declared, fist clenched. “No one else at school had heard of ‘A Study in Emerald’. Wait. What’s a Muggle?”

“A non-magical user who doesn’t know about magic.” Phineas supplied. “Or at least that’s what Grandma Winifred said.”

“Yes. Compared to what I am, a Squib. Which is someone who has no magical ability born into a magical family.” Lawrence explained, trying to keep his slight bitterness at it out of his voice. “My entire side of our family is magic. Adrian, his wife Lucy, all their kids. Ferb’s mother as well, before she passed away. Metamorphmagus runs on her side of the family.”

“Meta-what?” Candace's face curled up in confusion.

Phineas echoed her question, glancing at Ferb. “Meta-who?”

Ferb merely blinked, the only sign of interest he gave way. Lawrence didn’t talk about Ferb’s mother very often.

“A Metamorphmagus is a witch or wizard with the ability to change their appearance without potions or spells.” Lawrence fought a grin. “Ferb inherited a touch of it, what with his green hair and ability to change his voice.”

“So that’s where you got your amazing singing ability!” Phineas lightly slapped his brother’s shoulder. Ferb rocked with the movement, lips curled into a small pleased smile.

“I know that has been… troublesome, growing up without knowing what voice you’re going to suddenly speak with.” Lawrence said apologetically, his mood souring slightly. “We’re not allowed to talk about magic you see, due to the 1689 International Statute of Secrecy, put in place by the then newly formed Ministry of Magic in an effort to end Wizard persecution. Being burned at the stake, nasty way to go.”

Well, unless you were Wendelin the Weird, and enjoyed a such things. Allowing herself to be caught and burned 47 times, really.

Oh, it felt so good to be able to talk to his children about the Wizarding World! It was a burden being lifted off his shoulders, being able to share this. “What else did Mum and Dad tell you?” He asked eagerly.

Phineas shrugged. “They talked about taking us to Ollivanders in Diagon Alley, to get our wands for school, something about it being a ‘Rite of Passage’. And they were kind enough to loan us some of their old Hogwarts books so we could get a jump start on a magical education.”

“And how far did you progress?” Lawrence asked, curious. Both boys showed an amazing aptitude for things beyond their years.

“We finished reading most of them, except for Hogwarts: A History.” Phineas motioned to his brother. “It didn’t really seem relevant to me, since we’re in the States, although Ferb’s most of the way through it.”

Ferb shrugged. The Fletcher family had attended Hogwarts for generations, he was curious as to where his ancestors had gone to school. 

“And you boys didn’t have any trouble dealing with magic?” Lawrence asked, concerned.

“Well, our teleportation device did short out, so we had to take the Floo back.” Phineas paused, then chuckled. “‘Floo’. That’s such a silly word.”

“Yes.” Lawrence mused, rubbing his chin. “There has always been a difficulty using technology around magic.”

“We had wondered if it wasn’t the third of Arthur C. Clarke’s Laws, ‘That any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’, in action.” Ferb drawled, slightly annoyed. “But thus far the results are inconclusive.”

“We’re testing it using the second of Clarke’s laws.” Phineas nodded, picking up the conversation again. “‘The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible’, except we didn’t really have enough time to practise today, not with making the Rocket Quidditch for everyone to play with.”

“Wait.” Candace held up a hand. “Hold on a sec. So okay, magic is real and stuff. But where is my letter? To go to this Hogwarty or Broom Lake school?!” She demanded, looking irate.

Lawrence sighed. This was the part that he’d been dreading. “I’m afraid you take after me in that regard, my dearest.”

“I… What?” Candace tilted her head to the side, confused.

“We’re a bit magical.” Lawrence said, holding his hand up, thumb and forefinger slightly apart. “Not entirely Muggle, but enough magic in us to be extra ordinary, without being extraordinary.”

Enough for Lawrence to meet Linda through a series of amazing coincidences and events. To meet, fall in love, and become a family. To have adventures. For every day to be a little exciting, full of strange opportunities. But not enough to purposely perform acts of magic.

“I… So I’m not magic?” He watched his daughter’s shoulders deflate, all the excitement draining away.

Candace always watched as the boys built such amazing devices, yet she was rarely included in it. And in this too, she was an outsider looking in.

“I-I’m sorry, Candace.” Phineas stammered, deflating as he realised that this was something he couldn't share with his sister. “We’d give some of ours if we could.”

Ferb leaned towards her, taking her hand in his. She gave him a small bittersweet smile, curling her fingers around his. “Thanks guys. I know.”

“I didn’t say we were entirely without Magic.” Lawrence said, moving to her other side, and putting his hand on her shoulder. “You, your Mum and I, we have some of the strongest magic there is, without being magical.”

“And what’s that?” Candace asked, one skeptical eyebrow curving upwards, in a move that was very much like her Mother.

“Love, my dearest.” Lawrence smiled. “Love.”

Skeptical eyebrow became more sceptical.

Yup. Definitely like her Mother.

“No, really.” Lawrence raised his other hand in a mock pledge. “Love is the strongest magic of them all. Even the greatest Witches and Wizards of generations past acknowledge it. Love what was let the Hero of the Wizarding World defeat ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’. Twice.”

“‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’?” Candace drawled mockingly. “What kind of name is that?”

“The kind of name you use when you do not wish to accidentally summon great evil.” Lawrence said gravely. Words, especially names, had a special kind of magic to them.

Growing up in the late 90s in Britain as a Squib had been a terribly tremulous thing, and even living as a Muggle didn't necessarily bring safety. Even now, almost two decades after Voldemort’s defeat and subsequent death, Lawrence could not bring himself to speak the Dark Wizard’s name.

“The Wizarding World is an amazing place of fantastical feats of wonder.” Lawrence sighed. “But can also be home to great darkness. The latter being how we lost your Mother, Ferb. She was an Auror, which I guess you could say is similar to a Wizarding Police Officer. She killed by one of ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s followers.”

“I…” Candace shifted to lean her head against his side, tugging Ferb closer to her. “I’m sorry.” She whispered.

“No need for apologies.” He squeezed her shoulder. There was no way for them to know, he’d never spoken of it. “It was a high profile case, and the family and I decided that Ferb and I would be safer in America, away from ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s shadow. And then I met Linda, and you children. Words seem inadequate for how much I love you all.”

He truly loved Ferb’s mother, and when she’d been killed, he’d thought it were the end of his world, that he’d never smile, much less laugh again. And then he’d met Linda, and it’d seemed disgraceful to fall in love again, with Linda’s smile and her sarcastic wit.

It had taken a few months for his parents to talk him through it and beat some sense into his head, before he he’d asked her out on a date. And then Ferb, who had been even more quiet than his usually less than loquacious self, had met Phineas, and Lawrence had watched his son blossom.

Lawrence had the devil’s own luck, being blessed with a beautiful talented wife, and three children who never stopped amazing him.

And a platypus.

Phineas climbed over Ferb, then tugged him along so they were piled up on top of Candace, all three of his children attempting to hug Lawrence at once. It squished Ferb uncomfortably in the middle, but he didn’t seem to mind in the least. Lawrence leaned down, wrapping his arms around his children.

“We love you too, Dad.” Phineas said, his voice muffled from where it was pressed between Lawrence and Ferb. Candace nodded her agreement. Ferb’s head was kind of stuck, unable to move, but Lawrence go the firm impression that his laconic son echoed the sentiment.

Eventually, they pulled apart, giving each other fond smiles.

“Now kids.” Lawrence cleared his throat as Phineas and Ferb climbed off their sister, resuming their seats on the sofa, although they were pressed closer together. “I didn’t tell you all that to dissuade you from going. The Wizarding World is amazing place, and I have a feeling all three of you would fit in quite well there, but to illustrate that there are some drawbacks as well.”

“There are downsides to everything.” Candace said with a jaded air as she waved a dismissive hand. 

“True.” Lawrence agreed. “Another of which being you cannot tell your Mother about any of this.”

“Is that why you wanted to talk to us while Mom is out?” Phineas inquired. 

“Precisely.” Lawrence rubbed the back of his neck. This was another part he wasn’t looking forward to explaining. “Your Mother, while an amazing woman, doesn’t have much magic.”

“She’s a… What you call it? Muggle?” Candace tilted her head to the side. 

“Yes.” While he had no interest in digging up the past, he sometimes wished he knew more about Candace and Phineas’ biological father. Lawrence had the feeling that their mysterious genetic benefactor would turn out to be a Wizard.

“The reason I ask this of you is partly because of the Statute of Secrecy.” Lawrence explained. “I could not talk to you about it until your magic potential was confirmed, with the School letter. The other reason is that it would do little to no good.” 

The boys appeared confused, but Candace’s eyes narrowed shrewdly. “Does this have to do with the fact that Mom never sees what Phineas and Ferb are up to?” 

“Precisely.” Lawrence sagged slightly. “Your Aunt Lucy is an accomplished Cursebreaker, they came out to visit us to see if she couldn’t break the enchantment on your mother that prevents her from seeing anything too far from normal.”

“Like most of our Big Ideas.” Phineas said, exchanging a look with his brother.

“I’m afraid so, boys.” Lawrence sighed. “Lucy is good, but without knowing what spells were used, she can’t remove it from your mother without damaging Linda.” Which was not an acceptable risk. 

“And then there’s Candace’s magic interfering with her seeing your inventions as well.” He added. 

“WHAT?” Candace nearly bounced off the sofa, she sat upright so quickly. “But… I’M the one trying to get her to see them!” 

“Hey!” Phineas protested, annoyed. “We’d like Mom to see what we build too!” Ferb frowned slightly, nodding in agreement. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Candace waved it off. “And what do you mean _my_ magic? You just said I wasn’t magical like them.” 

“I said you have some of the strongest magic.” Lawrence corrected with a small smile. “You’re constantly watching over them, worrying about them. Your **love** shields them, helps keep them safe.”

Candace gave him a skeptical look. “By not letting me bust them-?” She drawled, crossing her arms over her chest in a definite sulk. 

“Dearest.” Lawrence sighed, putting his hand on her shoulders and gently tugging her so she was facing him, away from her brothers. “If your Mother saw their inventions, what would she do? Now think carefully on this.” 

Candace glared at him for a second, then dropped her eyes, lower lip coming out slightly as she thought. “Depending on the invention, she’d bust them.”

“And?”

“They’d be grounded.” 

Lawrence tried not to smile as he prompted her along. “And?”

“And…” She sounded out. “Then they couldn’t make their inventions.” 

“And?” 

“And…” Her forehead wrinkled. “It’d be really quiet for a change?”

“It’d be a really painful.” Phineas spoke up, almost pressed against Ferb, who was holding himself extremely still. Unnaturally still, even for him. “You do _not_ want to see Ferb if he can’t build stuff for a while.” 

One of Ferb’s lower eyelids twitched nervously, and he jerked his head up and down in a nod. 

“So, wait.” Candace frowned, her forehead wrinkling in puzzlement. “You’re saying my love for my brothers outweighs my indomitable will to bust?” 

“Precisely.” 

“Oooooh.” Candace slouched. “This sucks.” 

“We don’t think so.” Phineas said, pushing himself off the sofa and stepping closer. “You love us enough to watch over us, and protect us. That’s an amazing thing, Sis.” 

Ferb nodded, sliding off the sofa to stand resolutely next to his brother, putting a hand on Phineas’ shoulder. 

“Exactly.” Phineas said, smiling at Ferb as if his brother had said something. “And just because Mom can’t see our Big Ideas doesn’t mean that she misses our smaller ideas. Or that she’ll be cursed forever. The future isn’t written yet, we might be able to undo it, we’ve done more impossible things before.” 

“This is true.” Candace admitted, still looking bummed. She swallowed, looking hesitant. “You guys know that I try to bust you because I worry that you’re going to get hurt, right? Not because we hate you?”

“Duh.” Phineas didn’t quite roll his eyes, but it was close. Ferb gave her a look as if questioning her sanity for even thinking such a question. “And your trying to bust us does come in handy when we’re in a jam.”

And saved quite a bit on clean up, if Lawrence recalled correctly. 

Candace smiled at them. It was a little wobbly, but happy. “Come here you.” Phineas said, both he and Ferb holding their arms open for a hug. Candace sniffed, kneeling down and hugging both of her brothers tightly. 

Honestly, he didn’t think he could be more proud of his kids. Other parents bragged about how smart and kind their children where, but he didn’t think they could hold a candle to his three.

Candace eventually pulled away, rubbing her eyes with the back of a hand. “Thanks, guys.” She muttered. 

“Anytime.” Phineas and Ferb beamed at her. 

Lawrence cleared his throat. “As I mentioned earlier, I told you all this to give you a bit of background, not to try to dissuade you from going. If you want to go, I think you would have a fabulous time. But if it’s not what you want, that is fine as well. We will support you either way.” 

“Thanks, Dad.” Phineas smiled and shared a look with Ferb. “It gives a lot to think about, that’s for sure.” 

“Take your time.” Lawrence advised. “Not too much, they’ll be here tomorrow, but enough to really consider how this will affect your future. Feel free to ask either myself or our family back in the UK if you have any questions.” 

Ferb and Phineas exchanged another look. “We will.” Phineas promised for them both, Ferb already heading towards the tree in the backyard, where Lawrence had no doubt they were going to spend the rest of the afternoon talking. “Thanks, Dad.”

* * *

In the end however, it was not Lawrence’s talk, or his parents old magic books that was the deciding factor, but Perry. 

The boys were polite, listening through the ‘Introduction to the Magical World’ speech, and what it would mean if they went to the Groom Lake school. Classes, Houses, Uniforms, the lack of technology.

Lawrence found himself inordinately pleased with how well they behaved, the occasional twitch of their fingers the only sign that they’d rather not be wasting daylight stuck inside. 

They covered it up by petting Perry, who was sandwiched in between them, making his low rumbling sound whenever one of the boys got twitchy. It worked perfectly to calm them down. Finally the teachers reached the end of their spiel, and asked if the boys had any questions. 

“So just to clarify. We can have a cat, or an owl, or a toad as a familiar, but we couldn’t bring Perry because he’s a Platypus?” Phineas asked. 

“Sorry, but yes.”

Phineas and Ferb exchanged a look. “Plan 47-FQA.” Phineas finally said, and Ferb nodded in agreement. The green-haired boy reached behind him and pulled a book from between the sofa cushions, setting it down on the coffee table between them. He gestured for the teachers to flip through it before leaning back again. 

The teachers picked up the book and began to start flipping through it. It was a book that Candace probably would have loved to get her hands on, a list of all their inventions and what they were created to do. 

“Final question.” Phineas said, looking as serious as he got. “What can you teach us that we can’t already do on our own?” 

That evening, Lawrence shared the news with the rest of their pleased family that Phineas and Ferb would **not** be attending a Wizarding School. 

-fin-

**Author's Note:**

> Yes. They’re a little huggy. I like hugs. So there. 
> 
> [Area 51](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_51) was chosen as the school site instead of Salem, because of aliens. Also, because of a tumblr post I can't find now mentioning various locations other than Salem for North American schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I thought that was fantastic. 
> 
> '[A Study in Emerald](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Study_in_Emerald)' is a Sherlock Holmes/Cthulhu Mythos written by Neil Gaiman. 
> 
> At one point while writing, the boys got wands. But it didn't work, so it was taken out. Based off [some research](http://pottermoreschosenfew.weebly.com/wandlore.html) they got:  
> Ferb - Dragon Core, Hornbeam, 12", sturdy  
> Phineas - Dragon Core, Laurel, 11.5" springy


End file.
